Sacrifices
by Symee-Sama
Summary: Van coughed some more, reopening his many wounds, staining Hitomi's clothes with his blood. "And to think," he remarked bitterly, "I used to love you." Van x Hitomi
1. Visions

Sacrifices  
  
By Symee-Sama  
  
It was a beautiful dawn that Hitomi saw in her mind's eye, tipped pink and with hues of gold, the sun rose, illuminating the land with its light. Hitomi watched, captivated by it for a few moments before she turned her attention to what the light had illuminated.  
  
A bloody battleground covered with the corpses of Gaea's United Forces. Hitomi walked in a daze through the pools of blood and dismembered corpses, feeling strangely detached from it all. The gore that would normally have her retching, didn't seem to touch her as she walked through the battlefield, glancing at the pendants, looking for a certain standard.  
  
Basram, Asturia, Freid... Hitomi's heart seemed to stop as she found the standard she was looking for. The Royal Crest of Fanelia. Slowly, she picked her way through the rubble, making her way to the familiar melef that lay in a defeated heap.  
  
Escaflowne. She whispered, her words echoing around the field, seeming the disturb the corpses. She finally reached the white melef, placing her hand on its leg. Escaflowne. She whispered again. Please let Van go. You don't need him anymore... Please let him go.  
  
There was a bright flash of light as the Escaflowne's hatch opened, ejecting the young prince from the cockpit. Van! Hitomi cried, rushing over to his body, surprised to see he was still alive. Carefully, she pulled him into her arms, cradling his head and wiping the blood from his face. Van, it's me. I've come home. She smiled as his eyes opened, and he looked at her in amazement.  
  
Hitomi? He coughed, blood staining his lips as his expression changed to one of pure hatred. Don't touch me. His voice was cold, and pierced Hitomi to the very core of her being. Go away, Hitomi, and let me die in peace.  
  
But Van, Hitomi's voice shook as she looked at the man that she loved. Please Van, tell me what I did wrong.  
  
What you did wrong? Van laughed bitterly, choking on his own blood. You sold out to Zaibach, Hitomi. You let them give you power beyond your wildest dreams and in return, you destroyed us. All the men who lie dead here died because of you. This is your fault, Dark Lady!  
  
He coughed some more, reopening his many wounds, staining Hitomi's clothes with his blood. And to think, he remarked bitterly, I used to love you. He coughed again, his eyes glazing over as death took a hold on him, but Hitomi could still see the hatred in his eyes.  
  
Unable to bear it, she closed them, whispering a small prayer for the departed soul of the King of Fanelia, because for some reason, that's all she could think of him as now, Fanelia's King. Not Van, not the man she loved. He was an enemy, and though he fought bravely, he was defeated, and that was all that mattered.  
  
Hitomi felt a familiar nagging feeling in her mind, like she should be feeling more than she did. Like there was more to Fanel than the crown that he had been forced to wear, but she shrugged them off. These feelings did not matter. All that mattered was the success of the Empire, all that mattered was that the Sorcerors were pleased.  
  
Smiling at her victory over the pathetic United Forces, Hitomi walked from the battlefield, already dreaming of the knew power she would gain as a reward. Perhaps, the power of flight this time. They could use the body of the Fanelian King for research. She was so preoccupied by her reward that she didn't see the silver haired man until her had her by the throat.  
  
You think you can just walk away from this, Hitomi? He asked, his grip tightening around her neck. Do you think that I'll let you get away with this? You let them change you, you let them mould you into something you were never supposed to be. He smiled sadly, tracing the sides of her face with his other hand. Where's the innocent Hitomi that I loved?  
  
His grip tightened again, cutting off her air supply. Please, Hitomi rasped. Dilandau, don't do this. You don't want to do this.  
  
Don't I? Dilandau released her, shoving her to the ground. You know me too well. He glanced up at the sky, seeing the descent of the Sorcerors' ships, and Hitomi used his distraction to her advantage. With a swiftness that wasn't human, she drew her knife, and buried it to the hilt in Dilandau's heart.  
  
He fell to the ground, his body trembling as his internal organs failed, and his vision began to fade. They're coming for you, Hitomi. He whispered, tears streaming down his cheeks. If you ever loved me at all, don't let them take you.  
  
And Hitomi paused for a moment, staring at the tears that were still streaming down his face even though he was dead, and scoffed. You were weak, Dilandau. She sneered as she stepped onto the platform that the Sorcerors had lowered for her. This is where I belong. She smiled at the destruction that she had caused, knowing that she would be well rewarded for her efforts.  
  
Giving one last look at the silver-haired corpse, her smile grew as she turned to face the ship. You don't know what you were talking about, Dilandau. This is my home.  
  
* * * * *  
  
Hitomi woke with a start, and looked around her room, not quite sure where she was. She checked over her clothes and hands, expecting to see blood on them. Van's blood. Dilandau's blood. "Only a dream," she whispered to the empty room. "Nothing more than a dream."  
  
But it had been so real... She could still feel the dagger in her hands, the warm blood covering her hands, and splashing on her face. She could still feel the euphoric feelings that the dream had left her with. Disgusted with herself, Hitomi stumbled down the hall to the bathroom, washing her hands furiously in an attempt to get the blood off of her hands.  
  
She was going insane, she decided. She was going insane and having bad dreams about Gaea. They couldn't be visions, she knew that she would never kill anyone, even if it was Dilandau, and she knew that hse would never just abandon Van or send millions of men to their deaths. It wasn't her way. The very thought of those things made her queasy.  
  
Shaking her head slightly to clear it, she smiled weakly at her reflection. It had been three years since she had gone to Gaea, three years since she had left Van. Two years since he had stopped contacting her. The beauty that her features had promised, had faded when he had broken off contact with her.  
  
He had told her that the situation had changed, and that he had found another that he loved just as much as her, if not more. It was only natural for him to choose his new love over Hitomi. They could be together happily in Gaea, they could be free of her memory, and her damning visions.  
  
Oh Van, Hitomi thought softly, her heart breaking a little bit more. Be happy wherever you are. That's all I ever wanted for you.  
  
She sighed as she wiped the tears from her cheeks. She wished that she could find someone new to replace Van like he had replaced her. She wasn't happy alone, but there was no one she could relate to on this planet since she had gone to Gaea. No one she could confide in. Not since Yukari and Amano had moved away.  
  
Sadly, she changed her clothes and picked up her book bag, composing herself before she went out the door. It's time to move on, she told herself fiercely, knowing that she just couldn't seem to move past Van's betrayal. They had been so closely bound before he broke it off. So close that she could sense his thoughts, and feel what he felt.  
  
Now there was nothing, just an empty space where Van used to be, and although she had tried many different things, nothing could fill the void he had left. Not paying attention to her surroundings, Hitomi walked down the street, still trying to cheer herself up. She was so preoccupied with herself that she didn't see the dark shadow that followed her down the otherwise empty street.  
  
* * * * *  
  
Van was furious, damn these advisors who thought that everything that a King did must have their permission first. He had done what they had asked. He had broken things off with the Seeress from the Mystic Moon.  
  
No, he thought, angry with himself. Her name is Hitomi. She's a person not a damn title! Melancholy settled over him as he looked out the window to the royal gardens. I wish I had never done it. He thought as he watched the gardeners tending the flowers. I still love her... I shouldn't have listened to my advisors. I didn't need a wife. I could have done without one.  
  
As if his thoughts had drawn her to him, Seira opened the door, beaming at him. "Oh Van," she smiled. "How can you stay inside on such a beautiful day? Come outside with me and walk in the gardens!" She laughed at the expression on his face as she pulled him out the door. "If you stay inside all the time, you'll wither away!"  
  
Van smiled back at her. He had grown to love Seira, but he still yearned for Hitomi. He loved them both equally, but he had Seira, and it was almost like he only wanted Hitomi because he could not have her. Seira was beautiful, kind, gentle, and intelligent. Everything a man could want in his wife, but still...  
  
He wanted Hitomi. He wanted to pull her from the depression she had fallen into. He could still sense her thoughts, he could still feel her emotions as sharply as he felt his own, and he wished that when he had severed the bond between them, that it had worked for both of them.  
  
This is my punishment, he thought grimly as he smiled at Seira and held her hand. This is what I deserve for lying to her. This is what I deserve for attempting to sever a love bond. His smile faded as he felt something break within Hitomi's heart. This is what I deserve for destroying her happiness.  
  
His smile quickly returned as he watch Seira catch a butterfly bringing it back to him as a gift. "Cheer up, love!" She kissed him quickly. "Or you'll make me believe that something's really wrong."  
  
Catching his hand, she drew him towards her, pulling his body against her and capturing his lips with her own. Losing herself in the sweetness of him, she pulled away breathlessly, brushing a few stray strands of hair from her face. "There is so much to be happy for." She leaned in again, teasing him for a few moments before pulling away, and walking towards the center of the garden.  
  
"You always do this," Van smiled. "You love the King's Sanctuary."  
  
"Of course," Seira countered. "For it is the only place that guarantees sanctuary with the King. No advisors ever make their way in here. Most of them suffer from the pollen fever."  
  
Still smiling, Van let her lead him to the secluded glade in the heart of the royal gardens. Keep cool from the blazing sun by a canopy of branches, and a tiny pond, this glade was a slice of heaven for Van and his wife. The one place they could go without fear of being interrupted.  
  
"I love you," Seira whispered as she pulled him to the ground, running kisses over his face. "I love you more than anyone, Van." She sighed as he moved his hands up to cup her face, forcing her to look into his eyes.  
  
"I love you too, Seira," Van whispered closing his eyes to hide the pain that came into him whenever he spoke those words. "I love you too." He could feel a dark shadow closing over him, clinging to him, and choking him.  
  
Startled, he bolted up, knocking Seira off him, and pressing a hand to his throat. "Van!" She cried, wrapping her arms around him. "What is it? What's happening?"  
  
"It's Hitomi," he rasped. "Someone's hurt Hitomi." He saw the hurt expression on her face, and knew that he would have some explaining to do later. The pain gathered in his lungs, until he thought that they might burst, and then all of a sudden, the pain was gone, replaced by a new feeling.  
  
Warmth rushed through Van's body as realisation washed over him. "Seira," he took a steadying breath. "You weren't the first woman that I loved." He watched her face dissolve into tears, and clutched her close to him, wishing that he could take away her pain.  
  
"The first woman I loved wasn't from Gaea. She was the Seeress from the Mystic Moon, and during the war, I fell in love with her." He wiped the tears away from her face. "I still love you, dearheart, but I realised that you had to know."  
  
"Why?" Seira asked, sniffling slightly. "Why after two years did you decide that I suddenly needed to know?"  
  
"Because," Van took another breath, trying to sort out the emotions that were warring within him. "Something happened to her, and now, she's on Gaea."  
  
* * * * *  
  
Hitomi shook her head in an effort to clear it. Where was she? Grimacing slightly at the dirtiness of her surroundings, she looked around, desperately trying to give a name to the place she was locked in. Sighing, she sunk to the cold, grimy floor. She had no idea where she was.  
  
"So they finally gotcha," a low voice drawled. Hitomi turned in the direction of the sound, fear rising in her. "Took them long enough. They've been trying to get you for years, Kanzaki." He sprung to his feet, unconsciously taking a fighters stance as he looked her over.  
  
"Dilandau," her voice was calm despite the growing knot in her stomach. Her eyes shifted back and forth, looking for a way to escape. What had happened to Selena? Hitomi wondered. She thought that Dilandau was gone forever. "What are you doing here?" She managed to ask.  
  
"The same thing you are." He replied easily, pulling up the sleeve of his tunic to show long, ragged scars that ran up and down the length of his arm. "We're here for the sorcerers use."  
  
Hitomi shook her head. "I don't understand."  
  
"Rude little thing, aren't ya?" Dilandau's eyes flashed with amusement. "You haven't even introduced yourself yet." He gave an exaggerated sigh. "I would've thought that our parents had taught you better."  
  
Rude? Her? Angry now, she opened her mouth to snap at him when she realised what he had said. "Our parents?" She stuttered, a sense of foreboding settling over her. "What do you mean?"  
  
"I'm Dilandau Albatou Kanzaki," he said with a smile, holding out his hand to her. "Welcome to Hell."  
  
Author's Note: Okay, this is my first fanfic in a loooong time, not to mention my first Esca fic ever. I don't know how overused all my ideas are. I tried to make them different, and I tried to keep them all in character, if I didn't, bitch me out for it. I have no problem with criticism, as long as it's constructive. Hope you liked it.  
  
Symee 


	2. First Alterations

Sacrifices Chapter Two  
By Symee Sama

Aryan looked at the samples in front of him with disgust. This was the best that Zaibach had to offer him? Some half eaten carcass of a dragon? He turned to the young man beside him. "Surely, there must be something else for me to use."

"I'm afraid not," the man replied, "we've had less time and resources to search for the creatures you need since the collapse of the empire. Our time is mostly used up by scavenging for food now." The soldier shrugged, too inexperienced in the ways of the sorcerors to realise the danger he was in.

"Well now you will detail a squadron of men to find me the creatures I need!" the sorcerer snapped, and pulled the man close to him, a knife appearing in his hand. "This project could be the key to the revival of the empire, and if you fail to bring me the creatures that I need..." He trailed off with a smile and a small gesture towards the dragon carcass. "You will be used in the experiments."

He released the man, watching with no little pleasure as the soldier scrambled towards the door, and then forgot him, pushing the man's bumblings from his mind, and focused on what mattered. The seeress from the Mystic Moon had finally been caught, and she was perfect for what they needed.

"The Kanzaki blood is truly amazing," he muttered to himself, smiling knowingly. The first one they had caught, Dilandau has been a superb test subject, his body adapting easily, if not painlessly, to their additions and improvements.

Aryan shook his head. It was too bad that the boy hadn't been controllable. He had been too wild, too headstrong to be bent to the their will, but his sister... The Seeress...She would be useful.

She was weaker than Dilandau of course, but that could be rectified with a few small improvements, starting with what he extracted from this mess. He grimaced at the dragon's remains, and began sifting through the dead tissue, extracting small pieces and setting them aside.

She was also more vulnerable due to the emotional trauma that had been inflicted on her. The severing of a love bond... Aryan smiled wryly. Who would have thought that the young king of Fanelia would help him in this way? In the state she was in right now, she would be easily bent to his will, and with her Seeress powers, she could be what changed the fortunes of the last war.

Who would be able to stop him, Aryan wondered, when he held the power to see the future in his hand? When he had a warrior who surpassed Dilandau, and would have an unlimited capacity for improvement? Who would be able to stop him from realising his and the late Emperor Dornkirk's dreams?

He bottled the dragon tissue that he had selected, and placed it aside, wondering what else could be taken from the carcass, knowing that when he was finished with the Seeress, not even an Allied Gaea would be able to stand against him

8&8&8&8&8

Van stormed into his wife's room, unbuckling his sword from his belt and tossing it onto the bed. "What's wrong?" Seira asked him, her smile fading slightly when she saw the expression on his face. "What's happened, Van?"

"I can't find her," he said, wishing he had something to take out his temper on. "Three and a half weeks of scouring Gaea and we can't find her. Dryden was the only one who even heard of a pillar of blue light." He sighed, and buried his head in his hands. "And I wish he hadn't heard a thing."

"I thought you wanted to find her." Seira moved to be with him, pulling him close to her, and holding him to her breast. "Please, tell me what's wrong." He shook his head, pressing his lips against hers, trying desperately to drive all thoughts of Hitomi from his mind.

Seira pulled away, and forced him to look her in the eye. "Tell me what's wrong. Running away from the truth won't solve anything." He reached for her again, but she slapped his hand away. "You're not going to distract me this time."

Van stared at her, surprised at her sudden temper. He had never seen her mad before, and it startled him into answering. "Dryden heard rumours about a pillar of light that pierced the sky, and landed in the middle of the territories of the former Zaibach."

"But Zaibach was destroyed." Seira began, slightly bewildered. "You and the seeress destroyed them."

"Most of Zaibach's army disbanded after the death of the Emperor Dornkirk." Van corrected her gently. "The real power of Zaibach remains to this day. The sorcerors are still alive, and there is a core of fighters who guard them."

"And that's where the seeress landed?" Van nodded. "And what are you going to do about it, my Lord?"

"There is to be a meeting of the Kings of Gaea. There it will be decided if we will get Hitomi back. I know what the outcome of that meeting will be, and what my actions will be afterwards." Seira looked at him uncomprehendingly, and he smiled softly at her. "It is nothing for you to worry about, love."

"Van, I want to know what you're going to do." She looked at him, the worry apparent in her eyes. "I will support you in whatever you choose." She leaned into him, her hand moving in soothing circles on his chest. "I love you," she whispered, and Van closed his eyes to hide the pain in them.

He didn't deserve someone like Seira. Not when he had been in love with Hitomi since he was fifteen. Something twisted inside of him when he thought of her in the hands of the sorcerors. He had talked to Selena about what had been done to her.

They had changed her body, and warped her mind in order to create a soldier who surpassed all others in combat. He shuddered at the memory of Dilandau, and the madness in his eyes. They had taken Selena, amplified the small powers that she possessed, and changed her into a monster.

What would they do to someone with the powers of a true seeress?

He realised that Seira had been calling his name, and forced himself away from his dark thoughts. "What was that?"

"I want to know what you're going to do," Seira repeated, already knowing what his answer would be.

"Whatever the council decides," Van tightened his grip on her, and rocked her slowly, the same way he had done to Merle when she had her nightmares. "It doesn't matter. I will get her back. No matter what the cost to me."

Van's eyes widened, his grip tightening so much that Seira winced. "Van," she began gently. "You're hurting me." But he didn't seem to hear her, and when sweat began to bead on her lover's face, Seira started to get nervous. "Are you alright, love?" She asked, shaking him slightly when he didn't respond.

"Van!" She was yelling now, calling for someone, anyone to help as the King of Fanelia's face crumbled, his hands releasing her to clutch his head, and fell to the floor. Van's eyes were wild as he rolled on the floor, muttering nonsense, before he finally gave into the pain and screamed.

8&8&8&8&8

Dilandau paced around his cell, occasionally stopping to lean against the wall and gather his thoughts before he couldn't stay still any longer. They had taken her. They had taken her away, and she hadn't been back for days now. He closed his eyes, and slumped against the wall.

She had been here for nearly a month now, and the scientists had shown little interest in her at first. Hitomi and Dilandau had been to their own devices, and had gotten to know each other better. He had explained how he had come to be here to her, and she in turn, had told him all that had happened in Gaea and on the Earth since his abduction.

She was slowly coming to remember him. The brash older brother whom she'd both idolized, and loved... and forgotten about when he abandoned her.

Dilandau's heart had twisted as he listened to Hitomi's story, and he had asked her to share her memories with him so he could better understand what she had been through. He almost wished that he hadn't afterwards. The intensity of her emotions had threatened to overwhelm him, and it had taken him hours to recover from the ordeal.

It was becoming harder and harder to think of her as the seeress from the Mystic Moon, and was becoming more and more natural to think of her as his little sister. There was so much that he had misised. So much that he should have been there to help her with, but he had been taken away from her, and experimented on.

He grimaced as the unwelcome memories flooded back to him. His screams and the screams of the girl beside him echoing painfully in his ears. They had taken him, and experimented on him, turning him into an incredibly strong force that was capable of overcoming all enemies. There was only problem with their design.

They weren't able to control him.

He had refused to go to war for Zaibach, and when none of the physical punishments that they inflicted on him worked, they locked him away in solitary confinement, and began their newest project; the enhancement of another human being using his DNA.

He shuddered as he thought of the little girl who had been chosen to replace him, but there was nothing he couold do for her now. Nothing he could do from this cell to make amends. Besides, Hitomi had told him that the girl had been reunited with her brother.

He started pacing again as his thoughts were drawn to his little sister. He was in the middle of wondering if maybe something had gone wrong, or if they had decided not to let him see her again when the door of his cell swung open, and Hitomi was thrown into a corner.

He was with her in an instant, brushing her hair from out of her eyes, and cradling her head in gentle hands. "'Tomi?" he whispered, his heart breaking as her eyes fluttered open, and she looked at him. "Please, 'Tomi say something."

"I'm okay," she coughed softly, and closed her eyes again. "I... I just want to rest a bit."

Dilandau felt her breathing slow, and then steady as she fell asleep. Not daring to move, he held her, stroking the side of her face, and whispering stories to her in the darkness of their cell. "Do you remember when we were young?

"I can remember when our mother would dress us up, and take us to visit the temple. You were so excited to be able to wear your fancy clothes, but I hated it. I wanted to grow up so quickly. I didn't like the childish things in my life." He paused when she shivered, and tightened his grip around her.

"I remember yelling at our mother when she called me 'Dilly'. She was sad, but I didn't care. I wanted to grow up. I wanted to grow up and live my own life, away from the stifling influences of our house. You were the same way." His voice broke as he began to rock her back and forth. "Look where it got us, 'Tomi. Look where it got us."

Author's Note: Just a short little chapter... I'm kind of stuck with this story, and although I have a general idea, I don't know exactly what I want to do with it. So any suggestions/comments/complaints are welcome. Thanks a lot to those who reviewed before, and in response to some of the comments...

Dilandau is Hitomi's brother because I think he's awesome, and I want him to have a big part where he's not insane or a bad guy. Just pure Dilandau awesomeness.

And Van is married because it adds more to the story, while I refuse to tell you exactly what happens... I'll give you a couple things. Seira is not going to be put aside for Hitomi at any time in this story. I can't see Van being that cruel, but despite that, this fic will have a 'happy' ending...

I hope


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